This invention relates to a position sensor for the inductive detection of a position of a first component comprising a reference coil with respect to a second component comprising a reference body. The invention also relates to an actuator-sensor device and to a method for the inductive detection of a position of a reference body with respect to a reference coil.
Position sensors operating in a contactless manner are employed in many fields of technology. In automotive engineering, contactless position sensors are employed for example as rotary switches or push buttons free from contact wear, in particular for rotary light switches. Such position sensors operate by using various physical measurement principles. Examples include an optical, capacitive or potentiometric measurement. However, the sensors mentioned above merely can be realized with comparatively high costs, in addition have a too large size and can merely be integrated with a high mounting effort. Sensors operating in a capacitive manner also are sensitive to moisture.